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Robin Hobb


Thor85

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Well that sucks many bollocks. Ohwell.

I read the Liveship Traders first and always liked it the most out of the three trilogies. The world was interesting and I felt well crafted, the characters were pretty interesting too. The progression of characters like Keffria and Malta worked very well, both changing completely from one end of the trilogy to the other yet it all felt natural and worked. Kennit was interesting not because of his personality which stayed mostly static throughout the series, but his interactions with those around him and their feelings for him.

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  • 4 months later...

Hobb is writing a new novel about Fitz and the Fool, working title is Fitz Fool 1. She said in her newsgroup:

With great reluctance, I am addressing this thread, as it simply won't go away, I suppose.

The accidental listing on Amazon.co.uk is extremely premature. I'd say very extremely except that's a misuse of adverbs. I'm not blaming anyone for being curious about what the listing means! I just wish it hadn't happened at all.

Clearly, for some time, my publishers have wanted me to write a continuation of the Fitz and Fool story . It was my hope to work on such a story slowly, carefully and very privately. For years. Because if I do it badly or hastily, I will have ended my career.

Thinking about readers' opinions about what I'm writing while I'm writing a story has never been conducive (at least for me!) to getting words on paper.

I had hoped to avoid suggestions, ideas, queries, IM's etc about such work by not publicizing that I was even considering starting it.

But it's out there now and there's no dodging it.

I'm going to avoid posting about this. I'm not going to reply to any queries about it. Not because I'm trying to be a diva or an artiste, but because I need to focus on writing, not talking about writing. I think I've posted here before about what I see as the difference between Being a Writer and Writing. I'm not going to Be a Writer about this. There will be no hints, page counts, updates, teasers, or warnings that A Main Character Will Die! I know that many other writers use things like that to build excitement and increase internet chatter. But I don't. For me, writing is like working on a long complicated math equation. If someone in the room is reciting phone numbers or saying the times table out loud, everything gets scrambled. So I'm going to insulate myself.

Oh, and while I'm very disappointed that this leaked out, I'm certainly not angry at anyone. Just wishing it hadn't happened.

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Ugh. Another one? What? Why?!

We don't need more. We've had 6 books to explore one single character, and interesting as he is he isn't so fantastically awesome that I want to spend even more time with him, especially after the drag that was parts of the Tawny Man trilogy. I also feel like she has gotten as much mileage out of the Fitz/Fool thing as she possibly can.

The only possible benefit to this is that his story will get a better ending, as the Tawny Mans ending was kinda... ugh. But hopefully after this she will let him die in peace.

I also feel like we've explored the six duchies and the area around it as much as we need to. I'm much more interested and invested in her Rain Wilds/Bingtown set books. Partially because these books don't focus on the same characters - only two PoVs from the original trilogy cross over to the next series, and all the rest are new characters (or at least new PoV ones). It also explores slightly new areas, so while it may be linked it still feels fresh and interesting in a way that Farseer to Tawny Man didn't.

Meh, well, i'll probably read them. Still wish that she'd leave Fitz alone...

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Your opinion, dude.

I want more.

My thoughts exactly.

Migey, I have to say I don't agree with a single word you've said. I have always hoped there would be more Fitz novels, as have Hobb's publishers and the majority of her fanbase. I thought the ending to Tawy Man was excellent and very moving, same as with Farseer. And I find the Six Duchies region far more interesting than Bingtown/Rain Wild.

I had speculated earlier this year that the next novel ( after Blood of Dragons of course) would possibly return to Fitz, becauise of some comments from Hobb in a Dutch magazine in the Spring. It's now clear she is working on it, but of course when it will be done is still very much up in the air. She can take her time and make it as good as can be. She's always said one thing over and over, that she wouldn't return to Fitz and the Fool's world if she didn't have a story worth telling. Apparently she now feels she's found one. For my part I cannot imagine it being disappointing because Fitz is easily one of the best characters I have encountered in all of fiction.

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. I thought the ending to Tawy Man was excellent and very moving, same as with Farseer. And I find the Six Duchies region far more interesting than Bingtown/Rain Wild.

Completely agree with this.

But that's part of the problem for me. Fitz is one of my favorite characters, no question, and I'd love to read more about him. No doubt at all that I'll buy the new books and read them multiple times. But....I really did like the way things ended with Tawny Man.

Can't really complain though. Overall, more books about Fitz is a good thing.

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Migey, I have to say I don't agree with a single word you've said. I have always hoped there would be more Fitz novels, as have Hobb's publishers and the majority of her fanbase. I thought the ending to Tawy Man was excellent and very moving, same as with Farseer. And I find the Six Duchies region far more interesting than Bingtown/Rain Wild.

I had speculated earlier this year that the next novel ( after Blood of Dragons of course) would possibly return to Fitz, because of some comments from Hobb in a Dutch magazine in the Spring. It's now clear she is working on it, but of course when it will be done is still very much up in the air. She can take her time and make it as good as can be. She's always said one thing over and over, that she wouldn't return to Fitz and the Fool's world if she didn't have a story worth telling. Apparently she now feels she's found one. For my part I cannot imagine it being disappointing because Fitz is easily one of the best characters I have encountered in all of fiction.

Eh, I guess I am alone in this then... I guess part of this is because I have never really had many good experiences with single PoV books that go on for too long... I think part of what I enjoy most about large series is the development of characters, which is partially why I loved the Liveships so much (and it is probably one of my favourite series, definately from her at least), because it was all about the characters and their evolution. Fitz isn't a bad character and I enjoyed his books (well, most of them), but he is only one character and there is only so much exploration that can be done of him, which is why I'm not so enthusiastic. However I do understand that many people feel differently. I really DO hope it goes to some new areas though.

I do find it odd though; I do seem to generally have many similar opinions with most of this board and yet I havn't really seen anyone else who loves Liveships as much as I do. Am I the only one here who ranks it as some of the best stuff I've read?

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I think there's alot of people who think it's the best of Hobb's work, but I don't think there's many people here who think Hobb's stuff is the best stuff they've read.

So you'll get fans of Liveship, but not "Best series ever!!!!" type fans.

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Eh, I guess I am alone in this then... I guess part of this is because I have never really had many good experiences with single PoV books that go on for too long... I think part of what I enjoy most about large series is the development of characters, which is partially why I loved the Liveships so much (and it is probably one of my favourite series, definately from her at least), because it was all about the characters and their evolution. Fitz isn't a bad character and I enjoyed his books (well, most of them), but he is only one character and there is only so much exploration that can be done of him, which is why I'm not so enthusiastic. However I do understand that many people feel differently. I really DO hope it goes to some new areas though.

I do find it odd though; I do seem to generally have many similar opinions with most of this board and yet I havn't really seen anyone else who loves Liveships as much as I do. Am I the only one here who ranks it as some of the best stuff I've read?

Has been a long time since I read the books. I think I liked the Liveship books more than the Farseer books, especially the second Fitz trilogy. I'm not thrilled by the prospect of more Fitz books either. Fools Fate has ruined him and the Six Duchies setting as far as I am concerned. Has any of the stuff she has written since sold well?

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  • 1 month later...

I just finished Liveship Traders and wow, I'm impressed. It took a little time to get going (and the whole concept of a liveship in particular took a little while to grow on me) but I eventually got seriously hooked and was sad to finish it. There were so many times throughout that I thought "this would make such an awesome film/tv series".

She writes amazingly (there are some really beautiful passages in there) and the characterisation is some of the best I've ever seen - definitely on par with GRRM I'd say. Migey also made a good point when mentioning how the series conveys a similar feeling of realism and depth to Joe Abercrombie's work, without being so depressing.

The third one dragged a little around the start and middle, I thought, but had an excellent and really full-bodied climax. I was a little dissapointed with the ending though. I understand many will have a different opinion but it felt a little...abrupt. I wouldn't have minded a bit more time with each character before finishing. I guess I also felt there were a few too many loose ends (what's the deal with Amber, for instance? That's never fully explained). It's impressive that she managed to keep so many different storylines going all the way through the books, but it's almost as if she was juggling so many balls throughout the series that it was difficult to set them all down at the end without it feeling a little clumsy.

But to quote Ben Croshaw (Yahtzee), "these are the complaints of a small and insignificant mouse, hanging onto the back of a lion with a jetpack". I don't know if I'll re-read it anytime soon but I think I can safely put it up there with HP, THG, HDM and ASOIAF as one of my all time favourite series.

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I think there's alot of people who think it's the best of Hobb's work, but I don't think there's many people here who think Hobb's stuff is the best stuff they've read.

So you'll get fans of Liveship, but not "Best series ever!!!!" type fans.

Yeah put me in this box. Soldier's Son pissed me off so much. I haven't read much Robin Hobb since. (I have the Dragon Keeper, and Dragon Haven. I'll get round to them sometime.)

She's been overtaken by George and Joe Abercrombie for me.

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